The last Servant was quite the heavyweight. Even Amber, an uncultured fool who had barely read any books, had heard of him: Leonidas I, the renowned King of Sparta. His most famous battle was the legendary three hundred Spartans facing an army of a hundred thousand.
At that moment, she finally felt Fate's appeal.
The feeling of meeting historical celebrities was practically like seeing Fu Hua herself. If she summoned a historical hero she liked, just thinking about that sense of romance was thrilling.
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Ishtar Needs Offerings
The next day arrived quickly.
Leonidas and the other two each had their own duties. As Servants summoned by Gilgamesh, they naturally obeyed his orders and headed to the fronts of various battlefields. Though Demon Beasts were terrifying and nearly impossible for ordinary people to resist, for Servants, it was merely a matter of how quickly they could kill them.
Compared to the three Servants, Chaldea's tasks were much more boring. They were mostly miscellaneous chores around the city, such as shearing sheep for farmers, cleaning by the river, and driving away harmful birds that stole grain.
The only task that could even be considered combat-related was helping Leonidas train the troops.
Although Amber had said she would help Chaldea when necessary, she had never said she would join their group. Therefore, Gilgamesh naturally had no arrangements for her.
That was a good thing for Amber, since she also needed to properly catch up on knowledge about Tai Xu Sword Qi and the use of Honkai Energy.
So, while everyone else was busy, she left Uruk alone.
This was already her third day leaving the city by herself. Since she had directly obtained the result before cultivating the cause, Amber's progress was extremely rapid. After all, whenever she encountered something she did not understand while training inside Feathered Dust, she could directly have the Immortal demonstrate it through her body in reality.
Then, after experiencing that sensation, she would try to recreate it herself.
With such a convenient shortcut, there was naturally no reason for Amber not to use it.
Fu Hua did not really object to this somewhat opportunistic method.
That was because Amber possessed a talent for Tai Xu Sword Qi that was astonishing even to her. Not long ago, she had been a little girl who did not even know what True Qi was, yet in only a few days, she had become so proficient in its use. Her Sword Heart had already entered the beginner stage, and she had even mastered quite a few sword forms.
Amber did not think it was her own talent. She only believed that she could pick it up so quickly because she had Fu Hua's body.
After finishing another morning of training, Amber skillfully intended to find some wandering Demon Beasts nearby to test herself against. She flew directly into the sky, slowly flying while observing her surroundings.
With Amber's flying speed, combined with the broad field of vision from the sky, she quickly spotted a group of Demon Beasts running toward a horse-drawn cart loaded with quite a few supplies.
Seeing this, Amber planned to go help, but she soon sensed another presence rapidly approaching.
Relying on her exceptional five senses, she saw that the rapidly approaching figure was Ishtar, riding the Heavenly Boat.
They actually met again here?
Amber was somewhat surprised, so she did not hurry to intervene. Instead, she decided to see what Ishtar intended to do.
Ishtar, who had rushed over at high speed, was not patrolling or anything. She had been searching for something all this time, but days of fruitless searching had gradually made her irritable. The miserable situation of not even having offerings to decorate her own temple only worsened that irritation.
As she flew aimlessly through the sky, she saw Demon Beasts preparing to attack humans. Originally, she did not intend to care, but after thinking that she could use this opportunity to enjoy human respect and collect some offerings, she magnanimously decided to help these weak and pitiful humans.
Yes, she was not trying to help humans. It was merely pity for humanity that made her decide to protect the humans who could provide her with pleasure.
After convincing herself, Ishtar lowered her altitude. Then, just as the Demon Beasts were about to reach the cart, she eliminated them one by one.
Looking at the residents who had literally been blasted sprawling by the aftermath, the goddess was just about to make a dazzling entrance and reap humanity's worship. Yet after the dust dispersed, she noticed that the cart was not carrying crops at all, but several crates of gemstones.
"Not bad, humans!" Ishtar unceremoniously claimed the gemstones for herself. In a greatly improved mood, she descended to the ground, granting the mortals the honor of admiring her from closer up. After praising them, she reached for the gemstones. "I'll accept these offerings. Next time, don't run around everywhere like ants."
"W-Wait! Please wait, Lady Ishtar!"
The man, whose head was still spinning and who had not immediately recovered, hurriedly climbed up from the ground. He wanted to reach out to stop her, but he knew the gap between himself and a god. He could only say anxiously, "These are gemstones collected for the king! They are not offerings for you!"
"Huh?"
Upon hearing that, the goddess, who had just been in such a good mood, immediately darkened her expression. "Did you get something wrong? I'm the one who saved you! Not to mention that Uruk hasn't given me a single offering lately, but shouldn't you at least repay your savior?"
"B-But... the king said these treasures are very important..." The man lowered his head, not daring to look directly at Ishtar.
"Important? Oh, that treasury he's building for the future, the one that will supposedly amount to humanity's total assets when it is completed?" Ishtar vaguely remembered it, but she had no intention of accommodating him. "I'm telling you, instead of placing your hopes on that Golden Sparkle, you'd be better off betting on me. After all, I'm a goddess."
"I... I cannot comply..." The man bent even lower, only hoping that this willful, destructive goddess would spare him.
"I say, compared to that king, shouldn't I, a goddess, be more worthy of trust? If that king suddenly drops dead, it's not like I couldn't keep protecting Uruk. Demon Beasts and the like would be no problem at all."
After saying that, Ishtar's expression suddenly turned unpleasant. "Come to think of it, why do I even care what you think? Forget it. I'll take these things first. If I can give that guy a headache, then this trip won't have been for nothing."
Knowing that he had no power to resist, the man ultimately did not say anything else. It would be terrible if he lost his life along with the Demon Beasts.
It was not that he feared death. Rather, Uruk could no longer accept any meaningless deaths at this time. His life did not belong to him alone; it was also the king's property.
"Please wait, Goddess Ishtar." At that moment, Amber had no choice but to reveal herself.
"Where did you come from?" Ishtar froze as she looked at Amber, who had suddenly appeared beside her.
She had appeared beside her without the slightest warning. If Amber had any hostile intentions, would she not have been completely helpless against a sneak attack?
"Just some unpresentable tricks." Amber spoke after using Feathered Dust.
Methods like Feathered Dust, which manipulated and toyed with consciousness, truly were not fit to be displayed openly. But Amber did not mean it that way when she said those words. She merely wanted to say something cool. She absolutely could not miss this kind of low-key, pretentious line.
"Are you trying to stop me too?" Ishtar's expression became even uglier.
"Stealing another person's property is ultimately not a pleasant sight. As a goddess, why would you need to resort to such methods?" Amber asked.
She truly found it strange. She was already a goddess, so why did she still want mortal gemstones? Wasn't she just like her wife, Tohsaka Rin?
Though she did have Rin's face, after all.
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It's All That Poor Vessel's Fault
"How I act has nothing to do with you!"
Ishtar frowned, and her tone turned cold. "Besides, the way you look at me always makes me uncomfortable. It's like you're looking at someone else through me."
Was her intuition really that sharp?
Amber felt the embarrassment of being exposed, but her expression remained calm. "My apologies. Having met too many people, I can always find the shadows of old friends in new acquaintances. That is one of the burdens of living a long life."
"Living a long life? Come to think of it, you're a Servant too, aren't you?"
Faced with such a serious apology, Ishtar's expression improved somewhat, and she became curious.
Though she had been taken down by surprise before, and this time Amber had approached her because she had not been sufficiently wary of her surroundings, she subconsciously understood that the woman in men's clothing before her was no ordinary person. If Amber was a famous legendary figure, then it could at least wash away the embarrassment of Ishtar's two lapses.
With that in mind, Ishtar continued, "Consider this an introduction. Where are you a Servant from?"
"Shenzhou," Amber said.
Shenzhou... In this body's memories, it was a vast land filled with mysteries. It was common knowledge that the more mysterious the Magecraft, the greater its power. Shenzhou Magicians, who did not connect with the outside world and did not even appear beyond Shenzhou, naturally carried the reputation of being difficult to provoke.
And as a Heroic Spirit from Shenzhou, Amber was clearly no simple figure.
But Ishtar still did not hear the answer she wanted. "Just naming a place is far too vague. Are you embarrassed?"
As she spoke, she proudly puffed out her nonexistent chest, placed one hand over it, and forcefully raised her forearm. With great presence, she introduced herself. "The Venus Goddess, goddess of beauty, goddess of war, Goddess of Goddesses—Ishtar."
"Prometheus Soldier, Crimson Kite Immortal, Fu Hua." In comparison, Amber's response was much calmer.
It was not that she did not want to imitate Fu Hua and act like a master by saying nothing, though Fu Hua truly was a master.
If it had been Fu Hua, she would definitely have only said something like, "I am merely a martial artist." But that clearly was not what Ishtar had asked. Answering like that would probably only make her more dissatisfied.
It was definitely not because using Fu Hua's name sounded cool! The other party had given her name, so Amber was simply giving hers too!
Even if my emotional intelligence isn't that high, I'm definitely much better than a block of wood!
Fu Hua, the block of wood who could hear Amber's thoughts: ...
Thinking about Amber's age, as well as the years she had spent in the hospital where only her age had increased and not her life experience, Fu Hua ultimately did not bother arguing with the little brat. Besides, it was merely a title. No one here knew her anyway, and even if someone did, there was no harm in letting Amber use it if it made her happy.
"Prometheus Soldier, Crimson Kite Immortal?" Ishtar searched through the Vessel's memories, only to discover that the Vessel seemed to have no impression of either term. Still, she did know what an Immortal was.
So Ishtar smiled in understanding. "So you're a god too, Fu Hua."
"I am not worthy of being called a god. It is merely a title bestowed upon me by an emperor. People call me an Immortal only because I have lived for a long time." Amber continued role-playing.
"Is that so? I don't really understand, but you just called me a new friend, didn't you?" Ishtar's interest came quickly and went quickly, and she immediately moved on to the next topic. "As the most noble and proud goddess, it gives me a headache when ordinary beings call me their friend. But the situation is different now. If you do me a favor, I'll acknowledge that we are friends."
"What favor?"
Ishtar smiled. "It concerns Uruk. That Golden Sparkle has become more and more arrogant lately. Last time, he even insulted me, a goddess, with outrageous words, so I plan to teach him a lesson."
At this point, Ishtar's smile turned troubled. "But I've been busy with something very important lately, so I don't have time to go to Uruk."
"What the King of Uruk is doing is for humanity's survival." Amber refused. "Protecting the people of Shenzhou is my mission. If human history disappears here, then Shenzhou will cease to exist as well."
"Protecting the people of Shenzhou? Protecting humanity?"
Ishtar revealed a strange expression, seemingly wondering why a god would protect humans. If it were merely a passing whim, that would be one thing, but Amber clearly did not seem that way. However, because her fusion with the Vessel was too compatible, she did not comment much on it and instead continued persuading her. "Looking at you, you don't even have a single gemstone on you. You haven't received offerings in a long time, have you? That King of Uruk has plenty of treasures. Taking a little profit from him won't stop him from saving Human Order."
After fusing with the Vessel, Ishtar could naturally sense the changes in her own personality. But as a willful goddess, she naturally believed that no matter how much she changed, she was still herself.
And most importantly, one thing had not changed at all.
That was her hatred of Gilgamesh.
Though because of the Vessel, she had to admit that her temper was unexpectedly good now, when facing Gilgamesh alone, she could feel that the Vessel shared the same malice toward him.
That was why teaching Gilgamesh a lesson had become the second-most important objective of her manifestation.
Seeing Ishtar becoming more and more like Tohsaka Rin, Amber remained silent for a while before speaking. "Sorry, I can't help you with this."
"What? You were the one talking about being friends." Ishtar said unhappily, then walked toward the Heavenly Boat, which had descended to hover close to the ground and wait for her.
She could not even be bothered to take the gemstones on the ground anymore. That "friend" was clearly siding with Uruk, and besides... though she really did not want to admit it, if they fought, she would probably embarrass herself.
Seeing her like this, Amber instead felt a little embarrassed. But she truly had nothing she could use to compensate her... Wait?
"Hold on."
Suddenly remembering the miscellaneous items she had not even bothered to look at between her two gacha pulls, Amber flipped her hand, and a completely black stone appeared from thin air in her palm. Yet within it shone a sakura-colored light.
The sakura-colored radiance within the stone had even formed the shape of a five-pointed star, emitting light from the inside out. Under that illumination, the minerals dispersed within the stone glittered like tiny white stars.
"What a beautiful gemstone!"
Ishtar liked gemstone-like minerals, so she could naturally tell that this was no ordinary gem. It also contained considerable magical energy, making it an exceptionally fine material for gemstone Magecraft.
At that thought, she pouted again. Damn it, had that poor human Vessel's nature already seeped into her bones?
"In Shenzhou, there is a custom called a meeting gift. I did not bring any present worthy of offering at the moment, so let this serve as a substitute." Only when Amber saw Tohsaka... no, Ishtar, looking extremely interested in the Star Stone in her hand did she finally relax.
Looks like I soothed her.
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A Silly Goddess?
"This is for me?" Ishtar reluctantly pulled her gaze away from the Star Stone and looked at Amber again.
"Mm." Amber nodded and handed over the Star Stone. "This kind of stone is an essential catalyst in the creation of many items where I come from. It has some value, but it is not particularly precious."
"Not particularly precious... how not precious?" The Venus Goddess swallowed.
"Probably enough that everyone can easily take out several thousand."
"What!? Several thousand!?"
Ishtar felt as though her breathing was about to stop, though she did not need to breathe.
But Amber's extravagant manner truly dealt her a heavy blow. Gemstones of this quality were not merely for display. The idea that prettier gemstones were more valuable only applied to ordinary society, where gemstones basically had only ornamental value.
The clearer a gemstone was, the prettier it looked, and thus the more valuable it was. In the field of Magecraft, however, that common knowledge became: the clearer the gemstone, the better it could store and transmit magical energy, and thus the more valuable it was.
To those on the mysterious side, gemstones were not merely for looking at. More importantly, they served as catalysts for Magecraft. However, only Magicians who truly mastered gemstone Magecraft could bring out their greatest value. If they were used solely to store magical energy, then using gemstones as vessels was far too extravagant.
Therefore, although there was indeed the concept that clearer gemstones were more valuable, practically no Magician would become obsessed with gemstones.
And yet... both Ishtar and Ishtar's Vessel had absolutely no resistance to gemstones.
"A-As a meeting gift, one is far too lacking in sincerity toward a goddess...! And as a god yourself, could your reserves really be less than that of 'everyone'?" After learning that these things were not rare, the greedy goddess's eyes gleamed, and she once again assumed a proud posture.
Amber naturally had not planned to give her only one. After all, she currently bore the title of Crimson Kite Immortal. If she truly gave only one, not only would Ishtar lose face, Amber herself would feel embarrassed.
But some things had to be kept separate.
"After accepting these Star Stones, I also hope that Goddess Ishtar will not lay hands on humanity's treasures again." Amber set her condition.
"...This... Let me ask first, have the Star Stones in your hand been processed? Otherwise, they wouldn't be such regular shapes, would they?"
Ishtar hesitated.
Amber truly did not know that.
Before you continue